Down by the Cypress Trees

Do you ever see wild animals?

Florida isn’t all beaches and palm trees. Well, even out here in the rural part of West Central Florida, we have palm trees of all kinds — from tall and sturdy ones like the iconic Sabal Palm to the shrub-like Saw Palmetto — dispersed throughout the woods. But for the most part, you can find majestic oaks that are a century old or more, pine trees, and other shrubbery and foliage serving as habitat and sustenance for the wildlife.

When I was 15 years old, my family moved out of the suburbs of Tampa for a 2.5-acre property in the country part of the county where we could build a custom home tailored to my needs for my disability.

While it was a hard move at first, I grew to love sitting on my back porch with a cup of coffee while the sun rises through the trees. The birds often wake me up in the morning singing their songs, and the deer wander through our backyard like clockwork near dusk searching for something to eat.

Spending time outdoors has always been a favorite for me — our subdivision is a big loop, so I often go out for a stroll close to sunset around my neighborhood. Our area is home to deer, red-tailed hawks and other birds, bobcats, rabbits, and the endangered Florida Panther has even come strolling through our property. For as long as I’ve lived here — almost 17 years — it’s never gotten old.

I’ve even learned to love the sound of silence. Even on a crisp December morning when the cold air dampens the sound of everything around us, there is still so much activity and life.

Everything in nature depends on one another, and it just serves as a reminder that we, too, must learn that we are all in this journey of life together. To me, neither you nor I are any more or less important than the Cypress tree that has seen 500 years of changes in this earth, or the bees spreading new life as they pollinate the wildflowers in a meadow.